The Portland daily press., 1887-09-26
PORTLAND ROWING CLUBS.
A Complete Description OF the First
Club Ever Formed Here.
How the Portland Lost the First
Prize In 1898.
Interesting Particulars In Regard TO
Other Clubs.
[Hon. William Goold.l

Hon. William GOoldl
The interest expressed in my "Old-time
sail boats" prompts me to record the doings
OF the early rowing clubs.
Happening to be in New York city in the
spring Of 1885. on an evening / wandered
down to the Battery. where saw the boat
clubs rowing In their light and elegant
barges, but Of substantial build-the shells
had not then come In. Around the circular
outer wall Of Castle Garden was a row OF
iron cranes, TO which were hanging several
barges, and from others dangled the tackles
for hoisting similar boats to their places.
These boats were new revelation 10 me.
already had a small sail boat, but the sight
Of this fleet Of light row boats created a new
want At Hollis marble hotel then new,
where 1 stopped. were several Portland
young men, one Of whom was James Apple
ton, Jr.. matchmaker. The next evening
took him down to the Battery to see the
boats. but could not raise much enthusiasm
| In him except promise to take a share II
would build boat.
In day or two some four or five of us left
for home in the steamboat President, Cap
tain Comstock; then by courtesy styled Com
modore. With the Providence, Capt. Thayer,
dence, where numerous stage coaches took
the passengers to Boston, forty miles. While
on board the boat on the Sound, an agree
ment was made by several Of the party to
build light barge like those Of the New
York clubs. After our arrival home the
writer waited for some one to move in the
matter Of the rowing club. On inquiry he
soon learned that the interest expressed on
board the President had cooled off. There
was one who was determined to have a
club barge and trust to a revival OF the in
terest ON seeing the boat in the water for
assistance In the project
The first move was TO find builder who
would undertake the job, and to be under
the direction Of the writer, who had made
measurements and drawings from the New
York boats. William Wallace. the boat build
er, who died few weeks ago at Cape Eliza
beth, at the age of IS, then had a shop on
| Portland Pier, and undertook the job: The
barge was to be Of the iap-streak build, but
| no cedar boards like those Of which the New
| York boats were built could be had here.
| Half inch pine boards from small trees, they
being tougher. were used: The boat was TO
be 80 feet long and little over three feet
| beam, with thwarts for eight oarsmen. l
/ did not like the click of the New York mems
oars in the rowlocks at each stroke, and sub
stituted brass rowloeks. TO turn Ia the
| gunwale fitting the oar, which effectually pre-
| vented the disagreeable click.
| After the same kind OF disbursements
which Noah probably experienced In build
ing the ark, the barge was ready TO paint.
This was done by VIM. Capen, the sign
| painter Of "log cabin" memory, who was the
first TO encourage the owner In his under
taking. Capen had his choice OF the c0lors
and style Of painting, and chose pea green
for the outside with narrow black and gilt
| stripe. Capen's shop was In the third story
/ OF the Insurance building, then on the
site OF the present Bailey Il Noyes building
on Exchange street. Judge Mellen had his
law office in the second story, directly under
the paint shop. The year before, the Judge
| had attained to the age Of 20 years and had
become constitutionally disqualified TO hold
i the Office Of justice OF the Supreme Court.
| This undoubtedly caused him to be irritable.
The noise made In turning the boat In the
] process Of painting. and that made by those
artracteff - ta look at It, very much disturbed
the Judge, who freqiaIently went up stairs
and opened the door 10. complain. Finally,
| when the stripes were an. the burnishef
| brass rowl0cks and the snowy sssssr.as1s ~ s1sn'
were In place. the Judge came up one mo-
ing 10 complain. but his eye caught sight OF
the barge and he stepped In TO examine, and
was so well pleased with the barge that all
his bitterness died out and he apOlogized for
his impatience and told us 10 make all the
noise we liked.
There was now no difficulty In forming the
club and getting the shares taken. The
barge was named '"rhe Eagle" and when
finished was launched out Of three
story window into Exchange street and
hauled to ''Ingraham's," now Commercial
wharf. and placed in the water. We were
all there, with our oars, intending to make q
trial trip, but as there was rough water out
side Of the dock, and the boat looked so
frail, and set so light on the water, we
hesitated to launch away. Much to our re-
| lief at that moment, Captain Green Walden
OF the revenue cutter Morris came into the
dock in his barge: We asked the captain to
put his oarsmen into the new barge and try
her, which he readily did, and TO assure us OF
| her safety ne got in himself as cOxSwain. He
put the boat into every possible relation to
came our timldity, and q half dozen Of the
new Eagle Boat Club" took their places In
| the barge, and this was the first rowing club
afloat In Portland harbor. Some Of US could
keep stroke, lifted their oars high and awk-
wardly out Of water, and often caught
crab" Feather-edging was an after accom-
plishment, which was soon learned.
The Eagle was not modelled for speed only,
but for a comfortable boat to take our lady
friends for an evenings excursion In calm
weather, where the singing Of the Canadian
boat song and kindred productions could be
enjoyed. As we became proficient In rowing
desire for something TO row with developed.
The only boats that could approach our
speed on q trial were the revenue cutters
and the port barges, with those Of an Occa-
siOnal man-of-war that came In. The own
ership Of the barge was changed after year
or two and she was finally shipped for Cuba
and was lost on the deck Of the vessel In
storm.
commenced to write this sketch with
many pleasant recollectlons, but when come
to try TO recall the members OF the club at Its
formation, L find not one alive but myself.
| OF the original members i recOlleet Abner
Lowell, James Appleton. Jr., VIM. Capen.
Charles +. Little. All have passed away, and,
like Jobs servant, Il alone am left to tell Of
It."
The next rowing club after the Eagle, as
recolleet, was composed Of Neal Dow, Abner
Lowell and others, who obtained boat In
Boston, a white barge, which they named the
Nautilus" They went on an excursion IN
, their boat TO Bath, where she was malicious
,, ly damaged by having hole cut in her bow
In the night which caused much excitement
in that town. The passage home was made
In steamboat.
The purchasing Of the Nautilus in Boston
| caused an i'll feeling among bOatbutlders and
boatmen here, and a club was formed Of
which the following were some Of the men,
bers George A. Churchill, Amos Warren.
Joshua and Charles Stafford, T.. NJ. Patten,
Thomas o. and John II. Gould. They en-
ployed Thomas +, Roberts 10 build them a
barge, forty feet long and to row ten oars.
True to their home pride, she was called the
Portland. This was In 1858 The Mechanics
Association held their first fair that year,
filling the three stories Of the present much
; abused Old City Hail. The splendid barge
, Portland, with two hand tire engines, one
from Philadelphia and one from Boston, Oc-
eupied the lower story. A silver medal was
awarded to Roberts for his barge. The Port
land was taken to Boston by her owners and
| was entered for q race with several Massa-
| chusetts boats She was leading the fleet
with her builder steering, when pilot boat
| came across her bow and obliged her helms
man to alter her course or be run down. BY
this she lost the first, but took the second
prize. Withthe advent Of the Portland came
! bitter spirit Of rivaly among oarsmen. and
the championship Of the harbor was warmly
contested.
The Wave" came next after the Portland
and after her all is blank to me.
The "coIIectIons at saIl cames.